Colosseum, Rome

Favorite thing: Walk the triumphal route to the largest arch ever erected in Rome - CONSTANTINE'S ARCH: Built in AD 315 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Constantine's ascent to the throne & victory over Maxentius in AD 312.

Height = 21 m, Width = 26 m, Depth = 7 m.

Favorite thing: Realise that The Colosseum was built on the site of an artificial lake around which NERO's royal residence was centered.
The purpose? Emperor Vespasian wanted to restore to the Roman people what Nero had tyrannically deprived them of & to provide Rome with a large amphitheater.

Pictured you see the stretches of cavea with connecting corridors & the vaulted passageways inside.

Favorite thing: Be very interested in history to appreciate the concept of time & humanity.

Colosseum was built in early years of Vespasian's reign (anyone has any idea of when this is? lol... I can't even keep track of U.S. presidents in the last 200 years!). Inaugurated in AD 80... now, you grasp the extent of this? We are talking about 1920 years ago!!!

Fondest memory: Getting a feel of gladiators?! They were here!!!

Contests known as 'MUNERA' took place in the form of duel between opposing sides & usually until the death of one or the other! At least 10,000 such contests were recorded! Some kind of entertainment :-(((

Favorite thing: THE COLOSSEUM (AMPHITEATRUM FLAVIUM) - Icon of Rome!

Largest amphitheater ever built in Rome: contained about 50,000 spectators.

Facts:
1) Perimeter= 188 X 156 metres. Inside= 86 X 54 meters. Height= 49 metres.
2) Travertine facade.
3) 4 stories: Lower 3 stories - 80 arches each.
4) Access to seats based on social class, higher up, less important the person.
5) Arena originally covered with wooden flooring which could be removed as required. Area below the arena floor contained cages for the animals, storerooms for gladiators' weapons, machines, etc...

Fondest memory: Yeah, that's the great guide!

Favorite thing: Buggies for hire are seen throughout many of the hot spots in the city, from the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) to the Coliseum and elsewhere. Not the same as a cab which operates at a stiff fare schedule, the buggy drivers must be haggled with and the route selected before you head onward. This is Rome's version of arguing with a gondolier, and for my money can readily be dispensed with.

Favorite thing: Obviously, the Colosseum is the absolute one thing you must see. (Be sure to get your picture taken with the gladiators.) However, that is only the first on a very long list of wonderful things to see in Rome.

The Vatican is a the ultimate for art lovers, with 360 degree art, be prepared to have a sore neck the next day. Go early to beat the crowds.

Fondest memory: Walking around a corner and seeing the Colosseum for the first time. That was when I really felt the history and magic of Rome.

Favorite thing: While your eyes dazzle before such monuments as the Arch of Constantine and the ruins of the Coliseum, you might not notice all the excavation sites in Rome. Modern scholars and archaelogists continually uncover or unearth relics of Rome's illustrious past. Sometimes the sites are marked as a 'keep off' area and others are fenced off, so be mindful of such places and watchful as well -- markers don't always advertise the latest finds for public exhibits.

Favorite thing: Rome is not older than Christianity. Thousands of years before Rome was founded God said to the serpent "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15 Jesus Christ is victorious over death and He lives forever!!!